Small Steps
by Kaiisan
Summary: When Gajeel opened the front door that morning, he realised two things. One: his alcoholic ex-girlfriend wasn't lying about having a kid social services were trying to take away from her. Two: she wasn't lying when she said it was his. ON HOLD until I finish The Rhythm of Love!
1. Chapter 1

**Small Steps**

When Gajeel opened the front door that morning, he realised two things.

One: his alcoholic ex-girlfriend wasn't lying about having a kid social services were trying to take away from her.

Two: she wasn't lying when she said it was his.

* * *

_Early in the week, Gajeel had a call._

_It was an unexpected call; he never gets calls apart from the occasional ones from Natsu (reluctantly persuaded by Lucy or Wendy), Lily or Makarov, the latter usually calling to ask where he was, if he hadn't been to the bar in a while. The old fart makes sure to check in with all 'his' brats._

_No, this call was different. For a start, it was a woman on the line, a familiar one at that, though not one he wanted to hear from._

_"Gaaajeeeelllyyy~" a slurred voice shouts from the other end._

_"A-amber?" Gajeel stuttered in shock. _

_Amber Cheney, 21 years old, his ex-girlfriend from two years ago. Long, straight black hair like silk...when it was washed.. and eyes the colour of her namesake, that sparkled like the gemstone... when she wasn't drunk off her face. He'd left her drunken ass once he realised she'd started taking substances as well as drinking. Why the fuck was she calling now?_

_"Gajeeellly, there's some nasty men around here..." Amber whined into the phone. Gajeel sighed._

_"Well what the fuck did ya expect when ya started takin' drugs? Rainbows and unicorns?"_

_"Not those nasties, those nasties are fuun," she giggled, then burped and gagged. She suddenly became angry. "New neighbours called the cops on me and there's some nasty men here. They wanna take me away."_

_"Not surprised..." the scowling man muttered, though his ex didn't seem to hear it._

_"They want my baby, Gajelly. My baby!" she shrieked suddenly. Gajeel, about to take a drink of his beer, spat it out again._

_"Ya have a kid? The fuck!?" _

_"Yeaaahhh. And guess who's the daaaddy?"_

_"Some dead-beat druggie lyin' comatose in an alley?"_

_"Nope, it's youuuu~"_

_Gajeel dropped his beer._

_"Yer fucking lyin'."_

_"Nope, my baaaby's almost t-twwooo-" the was a cough then a retching noise as Amber apparently started vomiting. Gajeel used that moment to throw a kitchen towel on the puddle on the floor in the mean time. "Eck... two years old. It's been two years Gajelly."_

_"You shut the fuck up, ya stupid, fucking, _whore_." Gajeel snarled. "There's no way in hell that I am the father of any bastard kid ya have. Fuck, I wasn't the only one ya were sleepin' with when we _were_ together! Get a fuckin' DNA test before ya get yer ass thrown in rehab."_

_"I don't wanna go Gajee. I like being the way I am. It's my baby. My stupid fucking baby!" Amber started screaming. Gajeel froze. If she did have a kid, what kind of situation is it in? Was it even alive anymore? He almost felt pity for it. But then again, there was no way it was his. No way._

_"Listen, I don't. Fucking. Care. Your problems ain't got shit to do with me. That kid of yers ain't my problem. Leave me the fuck alone!"_

_"This is the end of my problems, Gajeel. I may not be able to drink where I'm going, but the brat will be gone. It's on you now."_

* * *

Gajeel had hung up after that, assuming she was just going crazy. Now though, he wasn't so sure.

The door bell had rung a couple of minutes ago, at half past seven in the morning. He grumbled at the earliness then stumbled his way to the door in sweatpants. When he opened it he was face with three people in formal wear.

One of which, the woman, held a child in her arms.

"Oh, fuck no."

"Gajeel Redfox?" The man who knocked asked in a no-nonsense tone. He had a scar on his left cheek that went under and past his left eye and his hair was close-cropped and neat.

"If I say no, will ya take the brat away?"

In the corner of his eye, he saw the woman pull the infant closer to her.

"I'm afraid not," the man sighed. "My name is Mest Doranbolt. My co-workers are Lahar Bevins and Kagura Mikazuchi. We have come to inform you that there has been an incident. The woman known as Amber Cheney has been taken into custody for alcohol and substance abuse, as well as child abuse. Since she is no longer able to look after her child, this falls to the next of kin. Her parents are currently MIA and she has no siblings, though she did inform us of the father." He narrowed his eyes at the tall man in the doorway. "We are told this is you."

"I told the bitch and I'll tell you. I ain't the kid's dad."

"Would you mind undergoing a DNA test to prove this?" the other man, Harry-or-something, spoke up.

"Though there's not much to prove," the woman murmured softly. "You can tell on appearance alone."

Frowning, Gajeel finally turned and gave the child in her arms a proper look.

He was small, very small. And skinny. _Premature or just malnourished?_ he wondered. His hair was long, slightly matted despite obviously being washed recently, and ink black. His eyes, from what he glimpsed before the kid turned his head to cower into Kagura's arms, were red.

Basically, he was a spitting image of a young Gajeel.

"DNA test. I'll do it."

* * *

"Congratulations, you're a father." Doranbolt announced flatly, handing him a thin piece of paper confirming the DNA test. They were sat in his office at the social services building in Magnolia. They'd arrived here about an hour ago, at eight thirty, since Gajeel had to wash and get dressed before going with them for the test.

"Fuuuck..." Gajeel sighed. He didn't bother to read it, he just held it in his hands, which surprisingly, were shaking.

Lily Pansa, Gajeel's best friend and owner of the gym he works at, took the sheet off him. He'd come as soon as Gajeel called him, frowning in worry.

"So what's the process from here?" he asked, his deep grumbling voice catching Doranbolt's attention.

"It'll be a difficult process, I'm afraid. Raios, the little boy, was born a month early and since then has been very malnourished and treated poorly. In a normal environment he should, by now, be walking and saying some words as well as interacting with the people around him and learning. But it seems that when he learned to crawl he was hit for getting in the way, and locked in closets for hours at a time with no lights on. If he made noise he was screamed at and had stuff thrown at him. It's made him very reluctant to speak and walk, though surprisingly, he enjoys the dark more than the light. I suppose he's associated being in bright rooms with danger, since his mother seemed to hold a lot of parties with bright and colourful lights."

"Yeah that sounds like her.." Gajeel mumbled. He was still in shock, after all. He's a father. To a two-year old.

"When's his birthday?" Lily asked, keeping a watchful eye on Gajeel.

"We're not sure, we haven't found any birth certificates when we searched Amber's apartment. Though research and doctor reports say his due date was the 24th of December, meaning he was born some time late November."

Lahar, who had been sitting quietly, included: "We have some doctors looking into his exact birthday to give him a birth certificate, as well as health-checking him and seeing what illnesses he might have. Mental age as well; it seems his growth has been shunted quite a lot."

"How am I supposed to look after a kid, Lil?" Gajeel mumbled quietly. "I can barely look after myself... not that I've done a good job at that either.."

"Another matter.." Lahar interrupted. "When the birth certificate is made, what surname should Raios be given?"

"I don't fuckin' know okay!?" Gajeel snapped, jumping to his feet and glaring at the man. "Not two hours ago I was alone with nobody but myself to worry about, and now I have a mentally and physically abused toddler to worry about, one that won't even look me in the eye because even _he_ knows that I'm a terrifying monster!"

"Mr. Redfox, please calm yourself.." Doranbolt moved closer to him, though he stopped when Gajeel whirled around at him.

"Calm down!? Calm _down?_ This is as calm as ya can expect from me, when you fuckin' turn my life upside down!"

"Gajeel." Lily grabbed him, shaking his shoulders slightly. "Sit down before I make you." Gajeel didn't miss the stern look his friend was giving him, so he took a deep breath as calmly as he could, and sat down with a loud thump.

"Give him some time," Lily sighed. "It'll take a lot of it just to make his home child-proof, let alone get used to the idea of having a kid."

Doranbolt stared at the two men for a while, before sighing. "Raios can stay with Kagura for 3 more days," Doranbolt eventually, rubbing his head tiredly. "But she can't keep him for any longer than that, she has a sickly brother to look after."

"We can also give you a financial donation," Lahar added. "Looking after a child costs money, we all know that. We don't expect you to risk bankruptcy by using all your savings. We've already filled out some of your papers for child support, and additional support might be included depending on Raios' health report."

"How much are we talkin'?" Gajeel growled.

"A 500'000 Jewel(1) donation," Lahar read from a sheet of paper in his folder, making Gajeel and Lily's eyes widen in surprise. "plus a estimation of 10'000 Jewels(2) a month in child support, possibly more depending on the results of his doctor's examination."

"The donation can be given to you now if you give us your bank information," Doranbolt added slowly as the two men remained silent in shock. Lily grabbed Gajeel's head and made him nod.

"Gajeel, don't get distracted by the money," Lily warned. Gajeel wasn't listening. "Okay, so be it..." he sighed. "Doranbolt, we'll put the money in my account. I'm his boss and was his legal guardian when he was younger. I'll look after the money until I feel he's... capable."

Doranbolt simply shrugged. "I honestly don't care, though I suppose you're right. Gajeel isn't in the most reasonable of minds at the moment."

"Also, is there any way he could have a professional help him? It's hard enough raising a kid you've prepared for, let alone be unprepared, uneducated about and dealing with trauma."

"Of course," Kagura replied as she entered the room. "You need someone with a friendly aura, someone approachable and resourceful, someone who can coax Raios through his trauma and go through the milestones of being a toddler. Someone who can also teach him not to be afraid and to be confident. This person should also be young, spirited and intelligent." Kagura smirked.

"I have just the girl."

* * *

**AN/**

**(1) - 500'000 Jewels - 5'000 dollars/pounds. See the Fairy Tail Wiki, under Jewels it says 100 Jewels = 1 dollar**

**(2) - 10'000 - 100 dollars/pounds I'm british I use pounds okayyy**

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**Guys, I really shouldn't be posting this. I'm really bad at having two stories going on at once. So I won't update this one until I have at least two more chapters of The Rhythm of Love done (so until I post chapter 5) because otherwise i know I'll give up on both. Let's see how this goes eh? Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the positive feedback on this story! :D**

**Also, I like comparing the shades of blue hair to gemstones, sorry :P**

* * *

Gajeel and Lily stood in one of those observation rooms behind a two-way mirror that looked into what appeared to be a children's playroom. Inside was Kagura, holding Raios and talking to the girl who was supposed to be helping Gajeel look after the brat.

And she was _nothing_ like what they had expected.

Gajeel had someone in mind who looked and probably smelled like an old lady. Lily imagined a mature women with a kind face, someone a child would take an instant liking to.

The woman in front of them didn't look much older than a teenager, and was barely the height of one. She had a delicate face; big hazel-brown eyes and a bright sunny smile that seemed to have captured the focus of the small toddler; who, despite cowering into Kagura's arms, couldn't look away from her. This _girl's_ frame was slender, though her hips gave her a defined shape her bust couldn't achieve, and her legs were long and well-shaped in the skin-tight blue jeans she wore. Other than that she wore plain white trainers, an off-shoulder yellow shirt and a yellow ribbon in her bright blue hair.

That's right. Bright blue.

Gajeel could tell that it was - surprisingly - natural. After all, Wendy and Juvia's hair were natural like that too. This girl's hair was a lighter shade though; more of a blue topaz to Juvia's sapphire or Wendy's lapis lazuli.

"She's still a kid herself," Gajeel muttered in disbelief.

"Levy McGarden is our youngest therapist and social worker, but definitely one of the best I've ever seen," Doranbolt informed him. "She completed all of her scholarships and degrees at fifteen and went straight on to work for some of the most well-known doctors in the country. She's also fluent in nearly every language you can think of, and then some. If there was an award for the most dedication to their job, Levy would have it."

Doranbolt passed a file over to Lily, who opened it for Gajeel and himself to read. It was the girl's fact file and CV. It was fairly simple. Her name was Levy McGarden, she was twenty years old, five foot three in height, she graduated from XX school at thirteen and from XX University at fifteen. In her CV there were several famous doctors and therapists listed as her previous bosses. All of them recommended her to whomever she applied for.

"If she's worked with this many influential people already," Lily began. "why, no offence, is she working somewhere like here?"

"In a city where no influential people live? That's exactly why," Doranbolt shrugged. "She didn't want a claim to fame from doing the work she loves. That and she said that in all the places she lived, she liked Magnolia the best. Or something like that."

Gajeel and Lily shared a look. Even the darker man seemed doubtful.

"I don't think she'll be suitable for Gajeel..." Lily announced after some thought. "He's not a patient person, is quick to anger and doesn't handle small things well."

"Even more reason to have her," Doranbolt replied. "She isn't just here to help Raios. She's here to help _you_," he pointed to Gajeel, "get along with _him._ You'll need to learn to be patient, learn to talk and act apropriately, and handle small things. Like your kid."

Gajeel snorted.

"Are you able to accommodate her?" Doranbolt asked. "For the first few months she'll need to be there 24-7 in case you need help."

"My house has three bedrooms, it should be fine," Gajeel sighed. "Is it really necessary to have her there too?"

"Yes, if you want help looking after Raios."

"Fuuuuuck. Fine. It can't get any worse at this point." Gajeel rubbed his eyes tiredly. In the other room, the blunette held a hand out towards the little boy, who looked wary but otherwise didn't move. Her hand went up to his head and he flinched, though he relaxed as Levy began to rub his hair softly. Her hand trailed down the back of the boy's head and shoulders, scratching his back lightly in a soothing way.

It had an immediate effect: Raios held his hands out for Levy to carry him.

Everyone watching was surprised, though Levy kept her face carefully smiling as she held her arms open. Kagura very carefully handed the toddler over and the dark-haired boy instantly buried his face into the nape of Levy's neck as she scratched lightly at his back and rubbed the soft locks of hair on his shoulders, rocking side to side on the spot as she did so. Within minutes of watching this display, the boy was asleep.

Kagura left the pair in the room and came into the observation room Gajeel and the others were in.

"That was the first time I've seen him behave in such an open way," she informed Doranbolt, clearly surprised. "And he fell asleep without crying and without his plushie."

"Plushie?" Lily curiously asked.

"When we found him, he was in possesion of a single toy: a stuffed brown cat plushie." Doranbolt explained. "It was in extremely poor condition, though when we tried throwing it away he screamed all night. He only stopped when we gave it back."

Lily nodded. "Does he have any other posssesions with him?"

"I'm afraid not. All of his clothes were dirty beyond comparison, what few he had. I'm sure he didn't even have a toothbrush."

"The poor boy."

At that point, Lahar entered the room.

"Some of the tests have been completed," he announced, holding up some files. "Though none of the important ones I'm afraid, like his health reports. Just his assumed birthday and age. Born November 19th, making him a year and seven months exactly today." Checking his phone, he confirmed today's date to be the 19th of June.

"We also need to confirm his birth certificate. Will he take on your last name?" the last statement was directed towards Gajeel.

"I...er..."

"What does his mother have to say to that?" Lily interupted before Gajeel said something stupid. "Has she been informed about Raios' lack of certificate?"

Lahar hesitated. "In fact, yes. She requested her last name for Raios, though technically she has no right to do so at the moment given that she no longer has custody of him. It's all up to you, Gajeel."

Gajeel thought about it for a moment. On the one hand, if he gave the kid his last name, he'd be accepting the kid as his own (even if he biologically was his anyway), and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that. On the other hand, he'd have a hell of a lot of explaining to do to a lot of people once the kid started school, and then he'd have to tell the kid why he had a different surname. And he wasn't too sure if that would be a good idea to tell the kid about his mother.

But, this was also the only connection Amber would have with Raios. She would certainly never see him again if Gajeel could help it, and even if she didn't want him in the first place, having something of yours taken away hurts.

"What about a double-barrel surname?" Gajeel finally voiced his thoughts. "Cheney-Redfox?"

"If that's what you want," Lahar seemed indifferent.

"It'll be weird to explain to the kid when he's older... but I guess I owe Amber for even having him, despite her poor treatment of him. He may be half my DNA and completely in my custody, but...she's a part of him too, for bad or worse." Gajeel sighed regretfully.

Lahar nodded and left the room again, though not before handing Gajeel the file confirming Raios' date of birth and age.

"Well, now that that's been settled, would you like to meet your therapist for the next few months?" Doranbolt smiled brightly as Gajeel cringed, seemingly amused with Gajeel's discomfort.

"I'll go put Raios to bed." Kagura murmured, before leaving the room. In the other room, Kagura took the boy whilst talking quietly to Levy, who nodded. Once the dark-haired woman left, the petite woman took a deep breath and left the room, seemingly to head to the meeting point.

"A few questions.." Gajeel started. Doranbolt nodded for him to continue. "Will I have to pay her for helpin'?"

"No, it's part of her contract with us to live with patients for months at a time, so we pay her to take care of herself under your care, as well as to help pay any bills that you'd need to pay. Essentially, she's becoming a room mate as well as therapist."

"So she'll pay for her own food and stuff?"

"If you take separate shopping trips I'm sure. I'd assume she'll just pay you whatever way she thinks is best."

"Okay." Gajeel thought for a bit. "What about...you know, therapy sessions? Will we go to an office or something for the brat to get better?"

"I'm sure you'll be using Levy's therapy rooms for the more serious sessions, though a lot of it will take place with you at home, so that Raios can see you as a safe person to be around, and maybe eventually as his father, which, of course, you already are."

Gajeel grunted, neither agreeing or disagreeing to Mest's last statement.

"Last question..." Gajeel's eyes flicked away from Mest, as if he was uncomfortable. "Is this McGarden chick... is she able to get along with people like me? I ain't the nicest bloke to live with."

"I'm sure you'll get along just fine," Doranbolt smirked, as if unable to contain his amusement.

"Somehow I doubt that," Gajeel muttered under his breath, sighing his reluctance as he and Lily left the room to meet the girl that somehow would change his life forever.

* * *

The instant the two of them met, Gajeel knew straight away that Levy didn't like him.

He'd stepped into a private room with uncomfortable chairs and sofas and one small window on the wall opposite to him, and one little blue-haired girl waiting for their arrival. She'd bounded to her feet energetically as the door opened but the moment her hazel eyes met his dark red ones she hesitated.

He saw a flash of fear flicker in her eyes, and he knew then that this wasn't going to work.

He turned to leave, pushing into Lily in order to get past, though he had to stop when his arm was grabbed.

"Gajeel..?!"

"For fuck's sake Lily, what were we thinkin', askin' a shrimp like her to help?" Gajeel growled, flinging his arm out to point in Levy's general direction. Unbeknownst to him, Levy flinched ever so slightly, which Lily noticed. "Takes one look at me and she's already scared of me. I can't do this."

"Gajeel, give her a chance," Lily warned him. "She's the best for a reason."

"Little miss 'Best' can't look me in the eye without lookin' like she's gonna piss her pants and somehow I've got to trust her to fix the brat?"

A small cough and a light voice interupted them.

"Hey, hey! Don't get I get a say in this?"

Turning, Gajeel frowned at the short-statured woman, whose arms were crossed in front of her chest. She was frowning, pouting even, with a light blush on her cheeks. However, Gajeel noticed, she wasn't looking scared of him anymore.

"I admit, I was a bit...shocked to see you," Levy pouted a bit more. "But don't judge me on my first reaction! You can't judge a book by its cover, you know?"

Surprised, Gajeel remained silent, thinking over her words. In the mean time, Lily had managed to push the two of them into the room, and him into one of the uncomfortable-looking chairs. Closing the door, he went to shake Levy's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," he gave the blunette one of his charming smiles, making the scar around his left eye crease slightly. "I'm Lily Pansa, Gajeel's former guardian, current boss, and long-time friend."

"Levy McGarden, though I'm sure you already know that," she giggled politely. She sat down on the couch opposite them.

As he was sitting down, Lily cuffed him around the head. "Introduce yourself you lazy brat."

"Tch, fine. Gajeel Redfox." Rolling his eyes, he slouched back in his seat.

"Gajeel. Unusual name," Levy remarked with a small smile.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"So!" Levy sat forward, elbows on knees and hands clasped. "Tell me about yourself, Gajeel-kun. I need to know what I'm working with!"

He shrugged again. "What's there to know? I'm 23, 6'4", workin' at Lily's gym as a personal trainer for advanced athletes, own a detached 3-bedroom house and a decent truck."

"What about family? Friends? Anyone you can rely on other than myself or Lily-san?"

"Hmm.." Gajeel thought about it reluctantly. "There's my cousin, Wendy... she's good with kids. She's just a teenager though, lives with her grandmother somewhere in the foresty area just outside of Magnolia. Then there's Natsu, but I wouldn't trust him with a pet goldfish, let alone a brat. The kid sets fire to everythin'."

"Do you not have any siblings?" Levy asked curiously.

"Dunno," he shrugged. "My earliest memories were of stealin' bread from bakers, and gettin' caught by the authorities. Lily's the only parent I've known."

"Don't get emotional on me, brat."

"Shut yer face, old man."

"I see," Levy thought for a moment, then smiled. "Are you and your cousins close?"

"As close as you can get for only findin' out they existed a couple of years ago."

"Any friends then?"

Lily snorted, and Gajeel punched his arm.

"Well, there's one chick. Juvia's a good friend of mine. Knew her since I was young. We help each other a lot."

"That's good," Levy smiled again. "In hard times like these it's good to have people to rely on."

Gajeel frowned; _again_, her choice of words confused him. But he didn't bother dwelling on it.

"Whatever. When are ya movin' your stuff in?"

"Oh! Um, probably tomorrow, if you don't mind," Levy grinned sheepishly. "I have quite a bit of stuff, that I need with me at all times so I was thinking if I move it all in tomorrow morning I can treat you to lunch or something as a payment?"

Gajeel sighed. "Whatever's fine with me, Shorty. In that case, see ya tomorrow." He got up to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Where'd ya think? Home, to clear yer room. Which was my weights room, yaknow."

"Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, aren't you forgetting something?" Levy smirked. "You gotta go shopping for Raios and buy lots of baby and toddler things!"

"And then you have to take it all home," Lily added. "and _babyproof everything."_

"I hate you both," Gajeel groaned as Lily and Levy high-fived excitedly behind him.

* * *

"This is torture, I'm sure of it." Gajeel complained as they entered _yet another_ toddler shop. He couldn't tell you how many this shop made the total. All he knew was that his feet hurt and his wallet felt lighter, despite most of the items bought these past few hours were bought by Lily, who'd been given the donation of money from the social services.

So far, they'd bought: a bed (after some discussion they'd decided not to go with a crib as it might make Raios feel caged in), bedsheets, blankets and pillows, a closet, a dresser, a bookshelf, a night stand, a night-light, a lamp, a toy box, a laundry basket and a plastic toddler's desk and chair. They'd also bought him several tshirts, long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, zip-up hoodies, two winter jackets, underwear, diapers (in case of accidents, they weren't too sure how potty-trained he was), shorts, jeans, swim shorts, pajamas, hats, gloves, shoes and a scarf. All of which in a range of sizes of should-fit-now and bigger sizes for when he starts getting a healthier build for his age.

"What colour is his room?" Levy asked as she held a blue bunny plushie in one hand and a green bear plushie in the other.

"Cream, like most of my rooms are."

"So the furniture matches; we should get light-coloured things to put around his room," Levy decided on the blue bunny and gave it to Gajeel to put in the cart he was reluctantly pushing around.

"I was told he likes the dark."

"Yes, but it's also good to have a natural environment, when he goes to sleep it'll be dark enough for him to sleep comfortably but the light colours will catch the moonlight and keep it lit up enough in the dark if he wakes from nightmares. Plus, he needs to get used to bright colours so he doesn't always associate them as bad."

Gajeel grunted, not really understanding what the blunette meant but not willing to argue. He followed the petite woman around the shop as she picked up bits and pieces: a pack of colouring books (dragons, cars and animals) and a big pack of crayons, several picture books, some educational books for learning to talk/read, building blocks and a couple toy cars. In the next section of the shop they collected together plastic cutlery, plastic bowls, plastic plates and cups, sippy cup lids, bibs and a highchair. In another section they got socket covers that plugged into the plug sockets on the walls.

"Ah, my dear Levy-chan," the slightly elderly lady at the cash register cooed at the petite girl as they went to pay. "Are you here with your boyfriend this time?" her lip curled up as she winked at her jokingly. Gajeel scoffed. Levy blushed, predictably, as she shook her head.

"I-I'm not looking for a relationship, Betty-san, my work is my life, so.." Apart from the small stumble, Levy didn't look ruffled by the comment, only slightly embarrassed. Lily, who watched from far until now, chuckled, then started to help put things on the counter for the woman to scan.

"I know, dear. Still, a young woman like you, throwing away her youth for her work? Seems like a waste if I say so myself," the woman smiled sadly, scanning the items without even glancing at the objects, as if she knew already what they were.

"I love my job, and I treat each child with as much love as I would my own, if I had any."

"And they're all very lucky to have you, sweetpea. Though I hope one day you'll be coming in here on a personal visit rather than on business." The lady grinned again as she rounded off the expenses to Lily, who paid with his card.

As they left to once again put bags away in Gajeel's truck (the back of the pickup was covered with a roof and locked like a normal car). They set the bags on top of everything else they'd bought. Gajeel sighed at the thought of having to put together everything that needed assembling.

"I think we should set up his bed tonight," Levy informed him as she set some bags in the trunk. "Everything else can be done tomorrow. We could put the plug covers in tonight though."

"I guess this means you're comin' back to mine now too?" Gajeel grunted as he shut the boot.

"Yep! But I won't be there for too long," Levy grinned cheekily. "Just enough to stay for dinner and prepare you for my presence."

* * *

'Dinner', as it was, consisted of steamed vegetables, boiled rice and chicken drum sticks, much to Levy's surprise. What was more surprising was that A) Gajeel had made it, and B) Gajeel had made it and it was _good_.

The surprise was written all over the small girl's face and Gajeel couldn't help but smirk smugly at her as he ate his own portion. Lily simply ate in silence, having known about Gajeel's secret talents already.

"Where did you learn to cook, Gajeel-kun?" Levy asked curiously as she finished another forkful.

"Lily taught me basic cookin' when I was young, and I decided I liked it."

"It's practically his only good hobby."

"Shaddup, old man."

"Admit it, it's your only redeeming feature."

"Why you-!"

Levy laughed out loud, causing Gajeel and Lily to pause in their banter.

"I-I'm sorry," she gasped, blushing. "It's just really nice to see how you two get along with each other."

"We get along like everyone else." Gajeel shrugged.

"I've put up with his attitude for years, someone has to put him in his place," Lily chuckled.

"Tch."

Levy smiled at the pair of grown men flicking bits of rice at each other; totally out of character for the gentlemanly mannerisms of the older man but completely suited to the still-rebellious Gajeel. The two bickered back and forth, Lily riling up Gajeel easily as the latter took the bait every time. Despite the obvious annoyance shown in his face, it was clear the Gajeel held a lot of respect for his friend.

Dinner was uneventful after that. Lily offered to wash the plates whilst Levy volunteered to plug up all the open electrical sockets, leaving Gajeel with the brunt work of setting up the bed.

It wasn't too bad, he supposed. Just a simple wooden frame and a few wooden planks to stretch across to hold up the mattress. He got to work putting the frame together, Lily joining him after a little while. By the time Levy reappeared they'd set it up completely and were putting sheets on the mattress and pillows.

"I did all the rooms apart from yours," she announced, handing him a handful of socket covers. Gajeel grunted a thanks and stuffed them in his pockets. Then he and Lily worked to push the bed into the corner of the room.

The room in itself was spacious for a child's room. It was the first door on the left when walking up the stairs, and was technically a double bedroom. The bed was in the far corner opposite the door with a wide window on the wall to the right of it. Cream-white curtains hung heavily on either side. There were a pile of boxes to one side that Levy noticed.

"What're those boxes?" she asked curiously, wandering over to open them. Before she could, Gajeel stood in front of her and picked them up. He started to leave the room.

"Nothin' ya need to see."

Levy frowned at the roughness in his voice, but otherwise shrugged. She'd be curious later. Instead, she checked the time on her phone.

"Wow, it's already 8pm?! I need to go pack!" she exclaimed.

"I should be heading home soon too, I'll give you a lift." he smiled gently at Levy, who brightened.

"Really? Thank you! I live near the council building so I sold my car, thinking I'd never need to use it again..." Levy blushed. "Guess I was silly, huh?"

"It's fine," Lily shrugged. "If you give Gajeel your address I'll make sure he picks you up tomorrow so you can put your stuff in his truck."

"Okay!" Levy smiled, then took a pen and note pad from her purse, hastily scribbling her address and ripping the page out. She handed it to Gajeel as re-entered the room.

"Please pick me up at 10am," Levy grinned to the frowning man, who sighed and stuffed the note in his pocket.

"Sure, whatever. Bye Shrimp."

"Shrimp...?" Levy frowned, confused. Lily rolled his eyes and put a hand on her shoulder, guiding her downstairs and out the door. Gajeel stepped out of the room and watched them go, smirking at the confused tone of the blunette's voice.

"It's just how he is, don't take it personally."

"What did he mean by 'Shrimp'?"

"I'm guessing that's the nickname he's giving you."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, he does this with everybody."

"Why can't he call me Lev-"

"It's a personal peeve of his to never call anyone by their actual name. Come along now."

"Why Shrimp..."

"See you tomorrow Brat!"

"Bye Lil!" Gajeel called after him, hearing the door click shut. With that, Gajeel pulled out the socket covers and went to his room, plugging up the empty sockets. With nothing to do otherwise, he tried to sleep.

* * *

**THIS TOOK FOREVER.**

**Anyway, I'd like to mention now that I've been back at college since Monday, and I'll probably update very sparsely. Because of this I'm doubling the length of chapters for Small Steps! Instead of the usual 2'000 word minimum it'll be 4'000 minimum. (not including ANs) **

**So, you may not see another update for this until Christmas maybe...**

**The Rhythm of Love will also be slow on updates, but hopefully not as slow!**

**Thanks for reading x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Small Steps 3**

Gajeel arrived at the given address at ten minutes before the pick-up time. Sleep had come fitfully to him the previous night; due to the early night he had or the fact that a box full of memories sat underneath his bed, he wasn't sure.

It was quite a small apartment block, only three stories high and held six apartments. The outside walls were a dull grey stone and quite shabby, and the doors looked like they could use a new coat of paint. It looked worn down and old compared to the bright buildings surrounding it, like an old dog among young, energetic puppies.

Gajeel had no idea why he thought of it that way, and he didn't really want to find out.

From a window on the second floor, a small figure repeatedly pulled the curtain back to glare at him, before dashing away again. This time, though, the figure didn't return to the window, but instead dashed out of the main doors.

"I-if you don't l-leave soon, I'm g-gonna call the cops on you!" the boy screamed frantically.

"I'm waitin' for someone, kid. Scram."

"Oh yeah?" the boy replied, still angry-looking but he started shifting uncomfortably. "I-if that's true, then I'll know who they are! So tell me or else!"

"Hmm..." Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the tiny brat. He looked about ten years old, with dark scruffy hair and a bright tshirt three sizes too big on. The boy took a step back under his glare but he stuck his chin up defiantly. He gave up. "She's got blue hair... what's her name? McGarden?" he pretended to think it over.

"M-Miss McGarden!?" the boy stammered, shocked.

"Ah, Levy, her name's Levy." Gajeel nodded to himself, pretending he hadn't heard the boy.

"What do you want with my neighbour?!" the boy demanded, his voice rising again.

"S'got nothin' to do with you, brat."

"If I find out you do something to my neighbour I'm gonna-"

"Romeo? Why are you shouting so early in the morning?" a worried voice interrupted from behind the boy. There stood the girl in question, looking between the two with a confused expression on her face.

"Miss McGarden! Why's there someone from the mafia waiting for you?!" the boy named Romeo pointed incredulously at Gajeel, who snorted. Sure, he was wearing all black - black tank top, cargo shorts and combat boots - and even had sunglasses on top of his bandanna keeping his mane of hair back, but calling him a part of the Mafia was a bit far-fetched.

Besides, men in the Mafia wore suits. Gajeel did not. Although he'd argue that he'd look incredibly handsome in one.

"Romeo, Gajeel is a client of mine." Levy scolded the younger boy, waving a finger at him when he pouted. "What did I say about jumping to conclusions based on appearance?"

"We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover," Romeo grumbled half-heartedly. Smiling, the blunette ruffled the boy's hair and shooed him back inside.

"Now that that's settled," she beamed cheerfully, turning to face Gajeel with the same cheerful smile, "why don't you come up and help me load my boxes into your truck?"

"Well, that's what I'm here for," sighing, Gajeel stood from his leaning position to follow the petite woman into the apartment complex.

.

* * *

.

Now Gajeel isn't one to brag, but his house was quite decently sized. He spent his younger teen years working part-time jobs whilst being home-schooled by Lily, so he saved up a lot of money. Lily then decided that he could part-time at his gym once he turned sixteen, which, for the awkwardly tall and gangly teen, filled out his frame and built up his physique. By the time he was eighteen he was the best MMA fighter under 21 years old and worked full-time training other athletes and fighters. From the full-time job and the occasional competition, Gajeel made plenty of money for himself to buy his own house.

Of course, he technically bought it off Lily; after his wife had passed away and only Gajeel and himself roamed the house, he'd down-graded himself to a cosy two-bedroom apartment in a good area of town and planned to sell the house. Gajeel had pleaded that he kept it until Gajeel could buy it off him; he wouldn't admit it, but he didn't want to loose the first house he could call his home. He promised to pay Lily in installments from his competition money and his savings, which he did. At twenty, he'd finally paid it all and moved straight back in.

That was also when he'd met Amber.

But there was no point in thinking about that now.

He was standing in his old weight's room, also a double-bedroom. Like aforementioned, his house wasn't small. The fact that he'd just spent the past hour shifting boxes into the room and he _still wasn't done_ was another matter.

Levy's temporary bed - a pull-out sofa bed sat under the window in the room - was covered in boxes; wooden panels from Levy's bookcase - she insisted she brought at least _one_ \- stood against the wall next to it. On the other side, against the wall of the doorway, was an unfolded frame for a temporary wardrobe, which Levy and Lily were setting up. Said man had given Gajeel the week off and himself the week off too, in order to help things settle. The wardrobe had walls of material and would hold most of her clothes. Gajeel simply brought all the boxes up to the room, and already the room was mostly full.

"How much of this stuff is actually necessary?" Gajeel grunted, gesturing around the room.

"All of it," Levy replied without glancing at him, holding the frame steady as Lily pulled the material over the top of it.

"Seriously?" growling, Gajeel shifted a box with a sandal-clad foot. "There's just a shit ton of books in most of these."

"Mhmm."

He scowled at the back of her head, hoping it'd somehow dampen her mood. But it didn't, so he scowled even more and went to pick up the last of the boxes.

.

* * *

.

"Believe me, this place has the best food." Levy gushed excitedly as she glided through the open doorway.

Silently, Lily and Gajeel examined the place in surprise. On the outside, it looked like a friendly cafe, though the inside space was mostly taken up by a large pub-like bar. Following the petite woman to a small upper area away from the bar, they sat at a four-person table near the fireplace in the corner. Gajeel sat by Lily and Levy sat opposite them; moving the extra chair to the side a little so that she was more in the middle.

"I always get the same thing, so you two have a look at what you want." Levy grinned excitedly, handing them the two menus. "Go all out, my treat!"

"How'd ya find a place like this?" Gajeel frowned warily, taking a menu from her and looking it over sparingly.

"I do a lot of shopping in this area and just happened to wander in," the blunette shrugged.

"What do you recommend from the menu then?" Lily smiled politely.

"Well," Levy looked up whilst she thought, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she mulled it over. "I always get the prawn baguette, and my friend Lucy likes the spicy thai chicken noodles they make. My other friend Erza prefers the steak and ale pie. So I think they must be good!" Grinning, Levy shrugged a little.

"I'll try those noodles then." Lily decided, closing his menu.

"I'll try the pie I guess," Sighing, Gajeel dropped the menu on the table in favour of leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. A waiter came over a minute later and took their orders, along with a coffee for Gajeel, an iced tea for Lily and an orange lemonade for Levy.

"Orange lemonade?" Lily repeated once the waiter had gone.

"Orange juice and lemonade," Levy clarified with a knowing smirk. "Not many people request it but it's very good."

The older man nodded and left it at that.

The food arrived a short while later and the trio stuck in immediately, sating the gnawing hunger from working hard that morning. The meal was eaten in silence, broken only by a compliment from Lily on his meal choices and a grunt of agreement from Gajeel. Levy figured it was all she was gonna get from him.

"Is there anything we need to get while we're in town?"

Lily asked Levy. She thought for a moment. "We could get some baby food. A few different types for different meal times."

"How many of those are we gonna need?" Gajeel scowled.

"Well, depending on his appetite, Raios might eat 3-5 jars of baby food a day, until he's able to eat more solids." the blunette informed him.

Sighing, Gajeel just got up from his chair. "S'get goin' then."

Leaving the money at the table for the waiter to pick up, Levy and Lily followed the long-haired man out of the pub and headed down the street in search of baby food.

.

* * *

.

"Why are there so many kinds of baby food..." Gajeel complained as he put away the tiny jars of mush. An hour after their lunch, the trio had only just returned to Gajeel's home. Lily was currently putting together the shorty's bookshelves, as there were apparently _two of them_ instead of one, and Levy was in her room sorting out the rest of her things. After putting the jars away, Gajeel decided to go out in the back garden to see if anything needed to be altered out there.

His garden wasn't that bad, really. At the side of the house was a tool shed that backed along his fence and was visable from the kitchen. It was always locked when not in use, so he didn't have to worry about that. The first few feet outside of the back door was a patio, some simple cream slabs of stone with a garden bench up against the wall on the opposite side of the door to the tool shed. Then there were steps up to the grass and the rest was a square of green. There weren't any rocks or broken pieces of glass he could see so he assumed the garden was okay for now.

"Hey, you alright?" a small voice questioned from the doorway.

"Fine n' dandy," Gajeel muttered sarcastically.

"Hn, I can tell," amused, Levy stepped outside to walk towards him. "You ready for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow already, shit." Gajeel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The brat would be better off in care."

"No, he won't." Surprisingly firm, Gajeel's eyes widened a little at her force. "It is _always_ the better alternative to be cared for by your family, reluctant or otherwise. Only if the family is abusive or neglectful then the child should be taken away. The pain of later on finding out the your blood family didn't want you is more painful than anything else a kid can experience."

"Um.. okay?" Gajeel raised his hands a little in defence.

Levy, who had tensed a little, slumped with a sigh. "Sorry, I speak from my experiences. I've been doing this job for a while, remember."

"Yeah, I've heard. Fifteen, right?"

"Well, I was sixteen when I got the first job. But yeah, I graduated Crocus University at 15."

"Crocus? Isn't that the capital city of the country?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm not local," Levy laughed lightly. "But Magnolia feels the most homely for me."

"Doesn't bother me," he shrugged. "Apparently I'm Bosconian in heritage, but what do I know? I've only ever lived in Fiore."

"I don't think it matters," Levy smiled. "Well, it's getting late, so what you say to some take-out and a few movies? A calm before the storm that is tomorrow?" she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"I get to choose the take-out place, okay?"

"Hmn, okay."

* * *

**AUTHOR's NOTE (please read)**

**I am SO sorry this is A) really late and B) not 4'000 words. I just barely managed to hit the 2'000 mark without the AN and drew up blank after that.. this has been sitting on my memory stick for a while and I just could not for the life of me think up anything else to add without going straight into meeting and interacting with Raios.**

**I'm also... kind of.. sorta ill. Not in the cold-or-flu way. I've had a few panic attacks in the last 2 months alone, I'm a lot more depressed than usual (nearly as bad as I used to be, and I used to be suicidal) and my social anxiety is so bad that ALL of my free time outside of college is spent in my room, I only leave for food, bathroom breaks and eating dinner with my Mum. I cancelled last minute going to my college's party, AND my friend's birthday. I didn't even meet up with her to give her a present. I'm always in some sort of physical pain nowadays, from backache to headaches.**

**TL;DR: I'm an achey whiney little shit who can't get her act together and I'm pretty much a useless bum and using it as an excuse. So I'm sorry this is late and shit. **

**On a side-note, I HAD a poll up about 100-Themes Challenges, which I didn't specify if it was for One Piece or Fairy Tail. It WAS in fact for One Piece, sorry about that. I have made a NEW POLL about the Themes, the options are Fairy Tail (Gajevy), One Piece (ZoSan) or a CROSSOVER with both of those pairings. PLEASE Vote!**

**(Note that I already wrote/completed a few of the themes for ZoSan, but that won't matter if that doesn't get chosen)**


	4. I Will No Longer Be Updating My Works

**Due to Copyright Infringement and my works being stolen and copied onto fake websites for Profit, I will be (most likely) ****_Permanently_**** be moving all of my works to my profile on AO3. If you wish to find my works there, I have the same username.**

**If you also publish your work on this website, I warn you to do the same, as ****EVERYONE's**** works are being stolen, and there's very little you can do apart from reporting the websites.**

**More information about the websites stealing your works here:**

_ post/138893541254/all-fanfictionnet-stories-have-been-stolen_

**It also tells you how to report those websites.**

**List of spam websites:**

**Due to Copyright Infringement and my works being stolen and copied onto fake websites for Profit, I will be (most likely) _Permanently_ be moving all of my works to my profile on AO3. If you wish to find my works there, I have the same username.**

**If you also publish your work on this website, I warn you to do the same, as EVERYONE's works are being stolen, and there's very little you can do apart from reporting the websites.**

**More information about the websites stealing your works here:**

_ post/138893541254/all-fanfictionnet-stories-have-been-stolen_

**It also tells you how to report those websites.**

**List of website names:**

thefanfiction .com

thebuystock .org

talkfictions .com

fictionavenue .org

thanfiction .org

hmofiction .org

**Thank you to everyone who follows me, and has favourited me and my works over the years that I've been on this site. Until the sites are taken down for good, I likely won't be coming back. See you on AO3.**

**Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited, and reviewed my works over the years that I've been on this site. Until the sites are taken down for good, I likely won't be coming back. See you on AO3.**


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